4 Braxtons and a Baby
by xoloveJBox
Summary: When Phoebe left Summer Bay, it was supposed to be for good, and Kyle was heartbroken. Little did he know, she was about to return with a secret that would shake his world. Please don't judge on the cringey summary, I'm not good at them! Please read and give it a try, then let me know what you think!
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hellloooooo lovely people :D**_

_**Ok, so if anyone has read my other H&A story, Tenuous Fighter, you'll know that I mentioned the possibility of two other fics-a Brax-centric one, and a Kyle-centric one. Well, this is the prologue of the Kyle centric one! I know I'm pretty terrible at updating just lately because I'm almost done with my first month in America, so things have been kind of busy haha but, for the last week or so, I've been writing this quite a lot, so I've managed to write 7 chapters (including this one).**_

_**This is set at the time when Kyle was going to go back to Melbourne with Phoebe, but then Brax returns from prison. In this story, Kyle doesn't leave, but Phoebe still does.**_

_**I think the summary and title for this fic is pretty revealing over what is going to happen, but bear with me, it might not be so terrible haha**_

_**Because I've written a few chapters ahead for this story, the next update shouldn't be too long-unless I don't get any reviews or pms about it, because then I'll just assume that everyone hates it and not bother haha**_

_**So, let me know what you think!**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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><p><em><span><strong>Prologue<strong>_

It was eerie inside the Braxton household, and Kyle didn't know what to say. He leaned against the kitchen counter, looking out the window as the dim half light of the moon fell on his face. Phoebe sat on the couch, and he could hear the soft, rhythmic tapping of her foot on the ground as her knee bounced restlessly. His brothers had made themselves scarce for the night so that he and Phoebe could talk, but words escaped him. It was supposed to be easy- all he had to do was explain to Phoebe that he couldn't go to Melbourne with her now that Brax was home. He's fully intended to make the move back to where he's grown up, but Brax being released from prison was something none of them had seen coming, and it had thrown them all off. Now that their family was back together, Kyle didn't want to be the one to break it up again. He needed to make Phoebe understand, but he knew she wouldn't. Most of the time, Kyle didn't even understand, but blood was blood, and he was loyal to his family. He had worked too hard to prove to his brothers that he wanted to be part of their family, and he didn't want to let that go to waste, though if he was going to do it for anyone, it would be Phoebe.

Kyle let out a sigh. He knew they couldn't sit in silence all night, and Phoebe was planning on leaving early the next morning, so whatever he wanted to say, it was now or never. He turned and looked at her for a moment, her hair obscuring her face. She was leaning forward slightly with her elbows on her knees, chewing anxiously on the nail of her thumb. She noticed him move out the corner of her eye, and glanced over, wondering whether she wanted to know what he was going to say. It was clear from a million miles away what he was going to tell her, but she needed to hear him say it. She needed to hear that he was serious about not leaving with her. She thought that if the words specifically came out of his mouth, then maybe it wouldn't hurt her so much.

She wasn't too hopeful.

"Phoebe, look-" Kyle began, but Phoebe stood, holding up a hand to silence him.

She thought she needed to hear him tell her himself, but once he'd started; Phoebe decided that it would be too painful. Besides, his face said more than his mouth ever could, so she didn't see the point in dragging it out more than she needed to.

Phoebe walked over to him, trying to keep her face at least neutral, but she wasn't sure how well it was working.

"Please," she muttered in a low, pleading tone, "not tonight."

Kyle furrowed his brow slightly in confusion, but Phoebe wrapped her arms around him tightly, leaning her head on his chest. Kyle was caught off guard for a second before reciprocating, snaking his arms around her and pulling her closer. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. He'd never really taken much notice of what the smell was, but now he wished he had. There were a lot of things that he was now wishing he'd paid more attention to, and in a few short hours, he was never going to get the chance again. He was under no illusion that Phoebe would return to the bay-not even to visit- and he wasn't sure he could ever go back to Melbourne knowing she was there- close, but so far away from him.

After a few minutes of simply holding each other, Phoebe looked up at him with dewy eyes.

"Will you stay with me tonight Kyle?" she requested sadly. "One more time?"

For a brief moment, Kyle thought about rejecting, wandering if it was a good idea, but he found that he couldn't say no to her. He never really could, so he nodded an acceptance, and for a second he was sure he saw a look of grateful relief pass through her eyes. She unwound herself from him, instead slipping her hand into his, and led him towards the stairs, heading for his bed.

When Kyle woke up, it was still early. The sun was still dragging itself into the sky, streaming meekly through a small gap in his curtains. He reached groggily across the bed, but felt only mattress. He peeled open his eyelids, squinting sleepily, looking around the room until he spotted who he was looking for. Phoebe was tip-toeing around the room, gathering the clothes that had ended up strewn across the floor in their hurry to strip the night before.

"Hey," she greeted quietly when she noticed he was awake, a small, weary smile playing onto her face.

"Hi," Kyle grinned back, pushing himself up onto his elbows "You're up early."

"I need to hit the road," Phoebe shrugged dismissively, feigning nonchalance as she perched on the end of the bed. She fussed with the shirt in her hand before carrying on "I take it you haven't changed your mind about coming with me?"

Kyle sat up fully, leaning against the backboard. He shot her an apologetic look and shook his head.

"Sorry," he replied sincerely "I enjoyed last night though"

"Me too," Phoebe agreed quietly "but it won't happen again Kyle. You know that, right?"

"You could stay," Kyle suggested, suppressing a mischievous grin "Then it could happen whenever we wanted."

Phoebe let out a sigh and raked her fingers through her hair, pushing it messily away from her face. Yesterday's mascara lay in speckles just under her eyes, her eyeliner was smudged and her hair lay haphazardly on her hair, but Kyle still revelled over how perfect she looked. He made sure to commit the image to his brain.

"You know I can't stay Kyle." She muttered, looking down into her lap to avoid his hopeful gaze. She was right; Kyle did know that she couldn't stay. Summer Bay was just too small a place for someone like Phoebe. She needed to be out in the world, spreading her wings, and Kyle knew he couldn't-and wouldn't-be the one to stop her.

"Let me grab my clothes, and I'll help you pack up your car." Kyle offered genuinely, moving to pull back the quilt and slide from the bed.

"It's ok," Phoebe told him quickly "I did it yesterday." She shuffled a little closer to him, and leaned over, pressing a soft, careful kiss to his cheek. "I love you Kyle, please don't forget that."

Before Kyle had chance to respond, Phoebe rose and strode from the room, not daring to look back at him in fear of changing her mind, and with that, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Howdy folks!**_

_**I'm not going to babble too much, I promise haha **_

_**I haven't really thought out exactly when I'm going to be posting new chapters of this, but I just felt like it haha For anyone who's interested, I'm hoping to have the next chapter of Tenuous Fighter in the next few days or so!**_

_**Let me know what you think!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter One<strong>_

At Angelo's, the lunchtime rush was in full swing, and Kyle was working at a million miles an hour. Brax had left him in charge, which wasn't unusual lately, but today he was under staffed, and the restaurant was busier than usual. Tamara was the only other person working, and the two of them were struggling to handle all the people that demanded their attention. They weaved around each other, dodging customers as they went, and Kyle wondered if it was this close work relationship that had spurred their sudden increase in personal friendship. Things were becoming less and less awkward between the two of them every day, and as far as Kyle could tell, it was having no effect on his relationship with Casey either. It was the ideal situation for them all, to get on more than they ever had, and it made days like this run more smoothly than could be expected.

While the lunchtime period was intense, it didn't last particularly long, and soon enough, the place was nearly empty again. The two of them chattered casually as they cleaned up from the rush, and they even found themselves joking around with each other, something they had never really been able to do before. Kyle was in a better mood than he could remember for a long while. He was in such a good mood that he didn't even pay too much attention to the name on the screen when his phone started to ring.

"Hello?" he greeted cheerfully as he wiped down the bar.

"Kyle." a familiar voice replied, and Kyle froze.

"Phoebe?" Kyle questioned incredulously, unsure that he was hearing correctly. He hadn't spoken to Phoebe since she'd left months before, and he definitely hadn't expected her to call so unexpectedly. When he looked up, Tamara was watching him, seeming just as surprised as he was.

"It's so nice to hear your voice," Phoebe told him, sounding genuinely relieved that he hadn't hung up on her yet. Kyle remained silent, unsure about how to respond, so Phoebe carried on to keep the empty line from making her balk. "I know this is out of the blue..."

"You can say that again." Kyle scoffed "Phoebe, I tried to call you a million times; you weren't interested in talking to me." A million might have been an exaggeration, but it was so many times that he'd long since lost count, and it weighed on him just the same. He'd been devastated when Phoebe had left, and he knew exactly how long it had been since he'd last seen her- two hundred and sixty-five days- because every day he found a new reason to miss her.

"I know Kyle, I'm sorry." She replied, sounding honest, but Kyle was unintentionally dubious. "I need to talk to you," Phoebe continued, sounding anxious- something Kyle had never experienced from the most confident person he's ever met "Can I come and see you?"

"Phoebe, what's going on?" Kyle questioned, concern seeping into his voice.

"I just really need to see you." Phoebe repeated determinedly "I can't do this over the phone Kyle."

"Alright, alright, fine." Kyle relented "I'm at work, but you can meet me here."

"I'll be there in about an hour." Phoebe told him, glad that he had agreed.

The time seemed to trickle by. Kyle spent it pacing back and forth, trying to work out exactly what it was that Phoebe could need to talk to him about so urgently. When Kyle had called his brother, he was a little surprised when Brax came down to the restaurant himself. He was even more bewildered when Heath and Casey soon followed. Brax was doing all he could to assure Kyle, but it wasn't working. Brax had seen how hard Kyle had taken it when Phoebe left, and it had thrown him off guard that she was suddenly calling. Tamara was pretending to work, trying not to eavesdrop, but in reality there wasn't a lot for her to do.

"What do you think she wants?" Casey asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them like a thick, suffocating blanket.

"I don't know," Kyle muttered back, and Brax was sure that if the floor was carpeted, he's see track marks by now, the way Kyle was walking up and down along the bar. "but it sounded important."

"Mate, she probably just misses ya, if you know what I mean." Heath grinned mischievously "If that's the case, I'll even cover the rest of your shift. Maybe you won't be so grumpy all the time if you got a little action." Tamara quickly swung out her hand and punched him in the arm "Ow!" he exclaimed defensively "What was that for, you angry gnome?!"

"You know what for!" Tamara hissed, while Casey let out a chuckle.

"I was being nice!" Heath retorted "I offered to cover his shift, didn't I?"

Tamara rolled her eyes impatiently at him, but Kyle was too distracted to pay much attention to them.

Five minutes before the hour that Phoebe had promised was over, Kyle's phone began to buzz, and he snatched it up quickly.

"Phoebe?" he blurted, aware of four pairs of eyes fixed on him.

"Hi," she greeted softly "Are you still at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Kyle replied, nerves starting to make his stomach flip agitatedly.

"Kyle, before I come up, you should know that I never planned any of this." Phoebe told him apologetically.

"What do you mean?" Kyle questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion. He could hear Phoebe stumbling over her words for a second before she simply sighed "You'll see in a minute." She quickly hung up before Kyle could interrogate her anymore, and Kyle found more questions than answers swimming around his head. His brothers and Tamara looked at him quizzically for a moment, but before he had a chance to explain, they heard footsteps on the stairs. No one moved inside the restaurant, and Kyle barely breathed. It seemed to take forever for Phoebe to reach the top of the stairs, and Kyle was so happy to see her that he didn't even notice whatever it was that made Tamara have to suppress a gasp, and his brothers look at him in surprise. She smiled warmly at him, looking just as beautiful as she always did. He noticed straight away that she wasn't wearing her usual baggy singlet and shorts, and when he let his eyes wander over her, drinking her in and revelling in the familiarity of her being around, that was when he saw it. Kyle couldn't believe he hadn't noticed immediately, and if he'd had any air left in his lungs, it was gone now.

"I'm so sorry Kyle. I should have told you sooner."

Kyle couldn't keep his eyes away. They were fixed on Phoebe's stomach, distended but firm, not like she'd just put on weight.

"Phoebe..." he breathed, barely able to find his own voice.

"I'm pregnant," she told him quietly, confirming everyone's suspicions before her voice fell to a whisper "and it's yours."


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hi everyone :)**_

_**I thought it was about time to give you something that isn't obvious from the title! haha **_

_**Reviews are love! Thanks for the ones I've had so far :D**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

In all the years he'd known Phoebe, Kyle had always thought that it was her stunning looks and exuberant personality that left him speechless, but not this time. He tried to say something- _anything_- but his thoughts were sloshing together like oil and water, and they were too hard to hold onto for long enough to make it coherent.

Kyle hadn't been sure why his brothers had all arrived with the news of Phoebe's return, but now he was glad they had because the room suddenly felt both infinitely bigger and like the walls were pressing in on him at the same time.

The silence in the room seemed to stretch on for an eternity as Kyle searched for the words to work out whether this was just some twisted, head-spinning dream that he was going to wake up and laugh about later on.

"Kyle," Phoebe whispered almost pleadingly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He finally asked, trying to keep the anger that was starting to bubble in his gut from slipping into his tone.

"I was scared of what you'd say," Phoebe admitted, grumbling down at her feet- or rather, where she guessed her feet would be, if her stomach wasn't in the way. "Do you mind if I sit?" she asked quietly "My feet are killing me."

Heath jumped from his place perched on a table- something Brax often admonished, but his immediate younger brother always ignored- and pulled out a chair for her. She smiled gratefully and waddled over, lowering herself slowly into the seat, her joints creaking in protest. The movement seemed to crack some of the atmosphere in the room, and Kyle turned away for a moment, scrubbing a hand over his face. He felt like the sudden discovery of his unborn child had drained all the energy from his body.

"Kyle," Brax started, and Kyle spun around to face his brother "I'll close the restaurant, and we'll leave you guys to talk."

Kyle gave a small nod, and Brax motioned for Heath, Casey and Tamara to follow. Kyle leaned against the bar, staring purposefully out of the window to avoid Phoebe's gaze as his family left.

"How far along are you?" Kyle questioned, barely audibly, once he was sure they were gone.

"Thirty-eight weeks." Phoebe answered. Kyle didn't claim to know much about the intricacies of pregnancy, but he did know that on average, it lasted around forty weeks. That meant that in approximately two weeks-maybe a little more, maybe a little less- he would have a child.

Nothing had ever sounded more terrifying to him.

"Why now?" he continued, finally turning to look at her again. She seemed like she felt guilty, but Kyle wasn't sure that 'guilt' could accurately describe what he could only see as insanity, unable to comprehend what would possess a person to wait eight and a half months to tell someone they once claimed to love that she was pregnant with his child. He couldn't help but wonder if she might have come back to him sooner if she wasn't pregnant, or if that was the _only_ reason she'd returned.

"I wanted to know if you want to see it before I give it up for adoption." She replied, sounding horrifyingly dismissive.

"What?" Kyle demanded, honestly hoping he'd heard her wrong. "You're giving the baby away?"

"Kyle, I'm not ready for a baby." Phoebe told him exasperatedly.

"What about me?" Kyle exclaimed defensively "Did you even consider the possibility that _I_ might want our child?"

"Do you?" Phoebe questioned sharply, and before Kyle could respond, Phoebe seemed to think she could answer for him "You live with your brothers Kyle. You work in a restaurant so it's not like you're rolling in money. Neither of us are ready for a child, and we were stupid to be so careless, but there's nothing we can do about it now. The best thing we can do for this baby now is give it to a family that can take care of it."

"Will you stop saying 'it'!" Kyle roared, indignant rage threatening to rip him into pieces from the inside out. "Our child is not an '_it._' We made another life, and you want to give the baby away? To strangers?"

"Kyle," Phoebe started, her voice low and forcefully calm "I know you're mad, but you're not thinking properly about this."

"What is there to think about?" Kyle demanded without hesitating "We made a mistake when we were careless, but why should our baby pay for that? We can do this Phoebe, I know we can."

Phoebe knew she had to push aside the almost pleading tone of Kyle's voice if she was going to go through with her decision, but it didn't seem to make things much easier.

"I've made up my mind Kyle," she told him softly, barely able to look him in the eye "I'll ask you once more: do you want to see the baby before it goes to live with someone else? Because if you don't, I'm going back to Melbourne tonight."

Kyle was silent for what seemed like forever. Phoebe was certain that if she let herself, she'd be able to hear Kyle's heart breaking. This wasn't the reaction she'd imagined he would have, and it was so much worse anything else she could have anticipated.

Kyle knew he needed time to think. He needed time to find a way to convince Phoebe to stay, just until he'd set his thoughts straight and he could work out what he was going to do. He knew Phoebe was serious about going back to Melbourne, so he nodded.

"Yes," he told her quietly "I want to see the baby."

Phoebe smiled, almost as if she was relieved.

"Ok then," she replied, reaching into her bag. "I'll get a caravan."

"You can stay with me." Kyle offered, worried that she'd change her mind and leave anyway.

"I don't think that's a good idea Kyle." Phoebe answered softly. Kyle quickly shook the notion that Phoebe would go against her word from his head. It was ridiculous- he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't do that to anyone, never-mind him. Whatever she had been digging around in her bag for, she soon found it, and placed it on the table in front of her, pushing herself out of her seat. "I really am sorry Kyle."

Before Kyle could think of anything adequate to say to her, Phoebe turned and left. Kyle stayed where he was, almost as if he was frozen in place, until she was gone. Then he scrubbed a hand over his face, and trudged over to see what Phoebe had left.

On the table in front of where Phoebe had been sitting was a white envelope, and Kyle couldn't deny that his fingers were trembling slightly as he reached for it.

He pulled out two of what he thought were photographs and saw that they were actually ultra scan pictures, and Kyle felt his chest tightening.

His baby.

He sat down in Phoebe's pulled out chair and started to drink in every detail of the images.

For hours, Kyle didn't move, and the next time he looked up, it was dark outside, and barely any light lit up the restaurant. He was stiff from not moving for so long, and he wondered what had pulled him from his thinking.

He was answered a moment later when Brax appeared in the doorway.

"Mate," he greeted with a small nod, wandering over to pull out the seat next to Kyle.

"She's giving the baby up for adoption." Kyle told him quietly, a subtly bitter tone lacing his voice, answering a question that Brax hadn't actually asked but wanted to. "End of story apparently."

Wordlessly, Brax rose again, strode over to the bar and retrieved a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He took them back over and put them in front of Kyle, and he'd barely finished pouring a glass before Kyle took it, downed the honey coloured liquid. He scrunched up his face as the taste burnt the back of his throat slightly, but he nodded to Brax for another. Brax thought about declining, but there was nothing to suggest that Kyle had drunk anything in the hours he'd been alone in the restaurant, so Brax obeyed. Kyle sipped the second drink more slowly and pushed the pictures across the table to his brother. Brax glanced over at him, making sure that Kyle was certain he wanted to share the pictures, but Kyle was gazing questioningly into his glass, as if he thought-or rather _hoped- _the contents would answer all the questions he suddenly had.

"Is that what you want?" Brax asked as Kyle took the pictures into his hand again.

Kyle sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

"I don't know what I want," he admitted "I mean, on one hand, Phoebe's right: neither of us are in the position to be raising a child, but... I don't know."

"What makes you think you can't raise a baby?" Brax was genuine in his question. Out of all his brothers, Kyle was undeniably the most responsible, and if he was going to choose one that he thought would be the best parent, it would be Kyle.

"Well, I don't have any money, for starters." Kyle replied exasperatedly.

"You don't have to worry about that." Brax told him firmly "I'll help you out with that"

Kyle shook his head "I can't ask you to do that Brax."

"You're not asking," Brax retorted seriously, though not harshly "I'm offering."

Kyle seriously considered accepting for a moment, before letting out a sigh "But that's not the only thing Brax. Right now, I have nothing to give a baby. Maybe the kid'll be adopted by a rich family that can afford to send them to a private school, and travel a lot and have nice things. I can't do any of that."

Brax could tell just how much the decision was bothering his brother, but he knew that it wasn't really his place to try and convince him otherwise. Instead, he simply exhaled a long breath and clapped Kyle on the shoulder.

"Let's go home, ey?" He suggested, his voice as soft as Kyle could ever recall in the time he'd lived with his brothers. Kyle nodded acceptingly. He knew that he should head home before he fell back into staring at the pictures. It would be easy too- he was finding it hard to take his eyes away.

Between the two of them, it didn't take long to lock up the cash register and wipe down the bar and tables. Despite the restaurant only being open for half the day, Kyle felt exhausted, and the idea of his bed was welcomed.

They drove home in relative silence, each one throwing around small, non-committal comments when the quietness lulled on for a minute too long, and soon enough, they were pulling into the driveway. Kyle could hear the television blaring from all the way down the breezeway, and he internally grimaced. He'd been hoping that he'd be able to slip upstairs unnoticed, and although it certainly wouldn't be the first time someone in the Braxton household had fallen asleep in front of the screen, he had a sinking feeling that Heath and Casey were hanging around purposely to find out what was going on.

He lingered for a moment, letting Brax walk ahead of him, and he was glad that he had, because he was met with his brothers staring expectantly at him. Kyle found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to tell them that despite the fact that they'd found out they were going to be uncles, their niece or nephew wasn't going to be around.

He opened his mouth, hoping to get _something _even a little explanatory out, but nothing came, so instead, he muttered "I'm going to bed."

As he headed up the stairs, he could hear Brax talking quietly, presumably filling his other brothers in on the situation, but Kyle felt too drained to really care. He simply carefully pulled out the ultrasound pictures and propped them up on his bedside table before stripping down to his boxer shorts and slipping beneath the covers.

He settled down, but didn't bother to close his eyes. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that sleep wasn't going to come easy for a while.


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hi lovelies :D**_

_**I'm sorry it's been a few days again, but I've been so busy this past week or so that I've barely had time to sneeze haha I didn't want to post another chapter until I'd finished writing another, but I didn't want to leave all you awesome people to wait any longer, so here you go :D**_

_**Let me know what you think! I'll try to get some more posted very soon!**_

_**Thank you!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Three<strong>_

The next few days all followed the same routine; Kyle would get up, go to work, use his lunch break to take food to Phoebe, and when his shift was over, he'd head to her caravan and stay there with her until she dropped some not so subtle hints for him to leave. Kyle knew that his hanging around was starting to grate on Phoebe's nerves, but he found that he couldn't keep away. Mostly, they spent the time avoiding the one subject that played on both their minds: the fact that Kyle wasn't happy with Phoebe's decision about the baby. Nobody spoke about it, but everyone knew it. All three of Kyle's brothers, as well as Tamara, Bianca and Ricky, had offered to talk to Phoebe, to try and convince her to change her mind, but he'd declined them all. Kyle was painfully aware that he couldn't force Phoebe to keep their child, and Phoebe was as stubborn as they came. If she had her mind set on something, no amount of talking was going to change it.

This reluctant acceptance didn't stop Kyle from trying to be as involved as possible while he still could, and when he told Phoebe as much, she responded by handing him a stack a papers.

"What's all this?" He asked, his brows furrowed confusedly.

"Potential adoptive families." Phoebe informed him shortly "You want to be involved: Pick one."

Kyle stared, bewildered, at the suddenly daunting mound, a hollow ditch forming in his chest.

"You want me to..." He started, but found he couldn't finish. Phoebe rested her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised expectantly at him.

"You're not the one who's going to pushing something the size of a melon from between your legs, so other than that, this is about as involved as you can get Kyle." She told him, her impatience more than evident on her face.

Kyle honestly couldn't think of a word to say in response, so he excused himself, saying he had to go to work, despite the fact that there was more than an hour and half before Angelo's even opened.

But the keys to the restaurant jangled in his pocket, so he gathered up the files and his things, and scurried out of the caravan, throwing a quick 'see you later' over his shoulder.

Angelo's was cool and silent when he let himself in, and for the first time since Phoebe had given him the files, still bundled in his arms, he could breathe. But even so, the papers in his grip, and what they meant for him, weighed more than he wanted to deal with. But, as Phoebe had bluntly reminded him, his role was already limited, and dwindling by the minute, so if this was something Phoebe was going to let him do, he would be damned if he was going to ignore it.

He dumped the papers on the table and sunk into a chair. He blew out a long, exasperated breath before pulling the first file in front of him and opening it up.

When Brax arrived a little over half an hour later, Kyle was looking over the lives captured inside the pages so intently, drinking in every single detail that they offered, he'd only worked his way through two prospective families, and was almost done with a third.

"What are you doing?" Brax questioned with Heath trailing behind him.

"Phoebe wants me to choose a family for the baby." Kyle explained sullenly, his face resting moodily on his fist.

"What?" Heath demanded, angry on his brother's behalf, since Kyle looked nothing short of miserable. Heath and Brax listened silently while their brother relayed the conversation he'd had with Phoebe that morning before Kyle scrubbed a hand tiredly over his face.

"It's like she's just trying to rub my face in it." He snapped, allowing himself a moment of frustration.

"Is that what you really think she's doing?" Brax asked calmly, ever the voice of reason amongst the boisterous Braxton clan. Kyle though for a moment, pulling together his thoughts, before blowing out a long, jagged breath.

"No," he answered quietly "I guess not."

"Look mate," Heath began, his voice uncharacteristically soft, especially considering he was speaking to one of his brothers "the ball is just as much in your court here is as it Phoebe's, no matter what she says." He jabbed an accusing finger at the pile of paper stacked in front of Kyle as he continued "And if you think you can find someone in here that's going to love your baby more than you, then go ahead, but if not, you need to rethink what you're doing. I've got two kids, and I don't have either of them with me, and let me tell you, it's not by choice."

Before Kyle could respond, Heath stood and strode out of the restaurant. Kyle looked to Brax, but his oldest brother only shrugged noncommittally and wandered out to the kitchen to check that everything was in order for the day. Kyle blew out a deep breath and put the papers away. He was already sure that he wasn't going to find anyone who loved the baby more than him, but that had never been disputed, had it? The problem he had was that for a baby, love alone was not enough. Surely Heath could understand that?

For a while, he decided to try and push the whole situation from his mind. He wasn't sure how well it was going to work, but he was on the verge of driving himself insane, trying to find a solution that wasn't there. He stowed the files in the office and shut the door, ready to get on with the days' work.

It didn't last long.

At around eleven, when the breakfast crowd was dying down and he was getting ready for the heavier lunch rush, Kyle felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. If there had been customers around, he might of ignored it but the fact that only a small handful of seats were occupied, and that it was Phoebe's name that flashed on the screen, made him panic slightly as he answered.

"Phoebe, is everything ok? What's going on? Are you alright?" he blurted before he could stop himself, attracting Brax's attention from his place behind the bar.

"Kyle, calm down" Phoebe deadpanned in response "Everything's fine. I forgot to tell you this morning that I have an ultrasound arranged for this afternoon, that's all."

"Are you kidding me?" Kyle hissed irritatedly, annoyed at himself for being quick to worry, and annoyed at Phoebe for being so dismissive about it. "You tell me to pick a family, _and_ you forgot to tell me you have another scan?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Phoebe retorted defensively. "I thought you might like to go, that's all."

"Of course I want to go, but I'm working." Kyle snapped. It felt good to be able to take out some of his frustration, especially since it was Phoebe it was directed at.

"What's the matter?" Brax asked quietly, and Kyle took his time relaying the information to his brother. Phoebe could wait, he thought bitterly.

"Go," Brax urged "Tamara's working this afternoon, we can manage."

"Are you sure?" Kyle asked sincerely, not wanting to leave the restaurant short-staffed. Brax nodded earnestly, and Kyle smiled a thanks. "Alright," he continued, going back to Phoebe "When is it?"

"In about half an hour," Phoebe answered simply, and Kyle internally grimaced. It shouldn't surprise him really; Phoebe had always been a last minute type of person, and he used to find it endearing. Now though? Not so much.

Kyle told her he'd pick her up and clicked the line closed. He bade goodbye to his brother, somehow managing to convince Brax to let him borrow the Ute. Phoebe was waiting outside her caravan for him when he arrived, and they drove to the hospital in silence. He didn't question why she had a scan scheduled so late in her pregnancy, and she didn't offer the information. It seemed to him that that just about summed the two of them up now.

They arrived just a few minutes before the appointment, and were lead straight through to an examination room that was sparsely furnished, only containing a bed, a counter with a sink, and a monitor on wheels. They were barely alone for a minute before they were joined by a nurse in plum coloured medical scrubs.

Her chatter filled the room, something that came as a relief to both Kyle and Phoebe, even if their responses were forced and minimal. But, as she busied herself with squirting a blob of cool, clear jell on Phoebe's belly, the talking lulled away to nothing for a while.

"Do you know the baby's sex?" The nurse asked brightly, filling the silence that had fallen over the three of them while she waved the scanner-no bigger than a bar of soap- over Phoebe's belly, trying to find a good reading of the baby.

"No." Phoebe answered shortly, and Kyle had to admit, he hadn't thought to ask her that himself. He had simply assumed that if Phoebe knew, she would have told him.

"I know it's late," the woman continued "but would you like to know?"  
>"No." Phoebe and Kyle answered quickly, simultaneously. Probably the only thing they had agreed on.<p>

The woman nodded acceptingly, and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, she was interrupted. Not by a voice, but by a sound that instinctively had all three of them shooting their gazes to the screen.

It took a moment for the image to clear up enough to be discernible, but Kyle felt himself suck in a deep breath as his chest swelled uncontrollably. The pictures that Phoebe had given him were nothing compared to seeing the real thing, seeing the movements and hearing the heartbeat of a life he'd helped create.

Heath's earlier words echoed around his head, falling into rhythm with the _thump-thump _of the baby's heartbeat. He could see tiny limbs floating on the screen in front of him, and realisation hit him like a brick. There was no other option for him, not now and not ever again.

He kept surprisingly calm as Phoebe wiped the gel from her belly and righted herself. His voice was steady as he answered 'yes' when the nurse asked if they wanted a dvd copy of the scan, as well as the picture. He managed to stop his hands from trembling as he shook the nurse's hand on the way out, and his strides were smooth and easy as the two of them made their way out of the hospital. Phoebe only momentarily glanced at the ultrasound picture she'd been handed by the overly cheerful sonographer, before handing it over to Kyle. He grinned warmly at it before tucking it into his wallet, along with the other two.

The drive back to Summer Bay was a quiet one again but, for Kyle at least, this time was different. His head was clear with decisiveness, no longer confused about anything that was going on. As he dropped Phoebe back at the caravan park, there was nothing to suggest that anything had changed, but as soon as she was back inside, Kyle could feel jitters forming rapidly in the pit of his stomach. But it wasn't fear he felt. It was something completely different.

It was excitement.

By the time he pulled up outside Angelo's, he could barely contain the words that were threatening to burst out of his mouth, to the point where he took the stairs at a run. Brax heard the loud banging of feet barrelling closer, and he couldn't help but be concerned when Kyle flew across the restaurant.

"Brax," he panted heavily, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he blew the words out on a single breath "I changed my mind. I want to keep the baby."


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Howdy folks :)  
><strong>_

_**I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this story! I've been so focused on trying to get the next chapter of Tenuous Fighter done (which is a lot harder than I'd like at the moment, Lydia is being difficult) that I kind of forgot that I already have a few chapters of this written haha**_

_**But yeah, here it is! Please let me know what you think!**_

_**Thank you :D**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Four<strong>_

Brax blinked dazedly at his brother for a long moment. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised by the sudden outburst, but the revelation itself didn't come as a shock to him. He known, or rather _hoped, _that it would only be a matter of time before Kyle came to his senses. The Braxtons were nothing if not loyal, especially to family, and a baby that hadn't been born yet was no exception.

"Alright," he finally answered, letting neither his face nor his tone give away just how relieved he was. He'd seen just how much the difficult decision had been playing on Kyle's mind, and that was before the baby had even arrived.

"Alright?" Kyle repeated questioningly, certain that he'd heard wrong, that Brax wouldn't just accept it like that.

"Yeah," Brax shrugged casually. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just wasn't sure you'd want a baby in your house," Kyle admitted honestly.

"Not just a baby Kyle, your baby, my niece or nephew. Family." Brax answered, leaving no room for uncertainty before he added "But out of curiosity, what made you change your mind?"  
>Kyle pulled the plastic case of the ultrasound dvd out of his pocket and held it up.<p>

"This," he answered. Before his brother had abruptly interrupted, Brax had been checking the accounts online, and the laptop was still resting on the bar. Kyle slipped the disc in and pulled up the footage to show Brax. The strong, steady _thump-thump, thump-thump _made Kyle's own heartbeat quicken, and Brax couldn't help but notice the boyish grin, filled with excitement, that spread across Kyle's cheeks.

"That's _my _baby," Kyle reiterated, before his face fell serious "I can't live my life knowing that my child is out there with some other family, Brax." He explained in a low tone "Or worse, what if the child never finds a family, and ends up as one of those kids that get tossed around until they're eighteen? I know what it's like to not feel wanted by my father. I can't do that to my child; I won't."

"Mate, your kid is never going to know the way Dad made us feel." Brax promised sincerely "I know you're never going to let that happen, but if you ever did drop the ball, for any reason, there are a whole boat load of people to help you out."

"Thanks Brax," Kyle beamed, not doubting a word his brother said "Listen," he started, rubbing the back of his neck a little awkwardly "What you said the other day, about..."

He trailed off, and Brax chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry, the baby's going to have everything he or she needs. I'll take care of it." Brax assured him, and Kyle sighed with relief, painfully aware that he had no real way to pay for as much as he was sure a baby would need himself "We'll go this arvo, since we're already cutting it fine."

"Yeah, we are," Kyle agreed, allowing himself a moment of exultment. If he was honest, he had no idea what a baby needed, and he made a mental note to see if he could convince Heath to go with them, since he was the only one Kyle knew with any real experience with children.

"What did Phoebe say about it?" Brax asked, cutting through Kyle's thoughts like a knife. No, it was more invasive than that, more consuming. Like flames bursting from a blow torch.

"I haven't told her yet." Kyle murmured, scrubbing a hand over his face, leaving it there to cover the conflicted expression he suddenly wore.

"Well, you might want to think about doing that soon," Brax laughed incredulously. Of course Kyle hadn't mentioned it to Phoebe, but had burst his way into the restaurant to tell his brother. That would make sense, and the Braxtons were not exactly known for their logic or reasoning skills.

"But when you have," Brax continued reassuringly "We're going to celebrate."  
>"Celebrate what?" Heath boomed as he entered, Casey in tow, each searching out the possibility of free food.<p>

"The fact that there's going to be another Braxton running around the house pretty soon." Brax answered, clapping Kyle on the shoulder.

"For real?" Casey questioned, sounding slightly surprised.

"I think it's going to be a while before there's any running, and I still have to tell Phoebe," Kyle replied, unable to suppress another grin "but yeah."  
>"Well, go on then you goose," Heath exclaimed, heaving Kyle out of his seat with an unceremonious shove "Get on with it. There's work to do if the house if going to be ready for a baby!"<p>

Kyle laughed as his brothers ushered him out of Angelo's, but before he could let them push him all the way out the door, he turned to Heath.

"Listen, Heath, what you said this morning." He told his brother sincerely, certain that Heath would know what he was talking about "Thanks. I needed to hear it."

"No problem mate." Heath grinned back, secretly glad that he had been able to help.

Kyle decided to walk to Phoebe's van, to give himself time to figure out what he was going to say to her. He knew that this was what he wanted-he'd never been so sure of anything in his life-but the words to make Phoebe see that eluded him tauntingly.

The distance between the restaurant and the caravan park was far too short for Kyle to come up with anything conclusive to say, but he raised a fist and knocked all the same, to make sure he didn't change his mind.

Phoebe looked surprised when she opened the door to see him standing there.

"Kyle?" She questioned, her dark brows knitting together in confusion "What are you doing here?"  
>"I need to talk to you." Kyle answered honestly, though he was still, even now, unsure of what to say. Phoebe must have been able to tell that he was serious because, despite her apparent mild irritation, she moved out of the doorway to let him past. He walked in and closed the door softly behind himself as Phoebe lowered herself onto the bed, indicating for him to take the other seat, but he politely declined, rather staying on his feet.<p>

"Did you bring those files back?" Phoebe asked, and Kyle wondered if it had simply just been something-_anything-_to say, since it was pretty obvious that he hadn't bought them back "I need to look at them again."

"No, I didn't," he answered quietly "because we don't need them."

"Kyle," Phoebe sighed impatiently "We've talked about this."  
>"No," Kyle snapped, his voice unintentionally harsh "<em>You've<em> talked about this, and for the most part, I've listened, but you've made all the choices so far Phoebs, and now it's my turn."

Kyle waited until Phoebe gave a small nod, to make sure that she was listening before he took a steadying, slightly shaky breath.

"We don't need the files, because we're not giving the baby away." He told her simply, sounding firmer and more decisive than he felt.

"Kyle, we cannot raise a baby!" Phoebe exclaimed exasperatedly, not sure how many more times she was going to have to say it before he finally listened.

"No, _we _can't, and maybe _you _can't," Kyle retorted quickly "But _I _can. I want the baby."

"Kyle..." Phoebe began, but quickly found that she didn't know how to finish. But even if Phoebe didn't know, Kyle knew what she was thinking. He'd always been able to read her, and that hadn't changed. Just about everything else had, but not that.

"The baby is just as much mine as yours," he told her, his voice low and soft "You can try and give him or her away, but I will fight you every step of the way. I'm going to raise our baby, and you can stick around, if you want to, but I'm not going to make you. That's the end of it Phoebe."

They stood in a suffocating silence for a few dragging seconds, but eventually Phoebe nodded an acceptance at him. There might have been a lot of things going on in Phoebe's head when she'd made the decisions she had, about not telling him about the baby, about choosing adoption as their only choice, but Kyle was certain that spite had not been one. Trying to keep him from the baby now would have been selfish, and that was something Phoebe had- or at least tried to-never been.

With a decision made, Kyle quietly let himself out of the caravan, and finally let himself feel the way his hands were shaking. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from Phoebe, but total agreement had not really been one.

But he wasn't going to question it. The universe had always seemed to like tormenting him, and he wasn't going to give it a reason.

He simply called Brax, and made the short walk home, where his brothers were waiting for him, ready to prepare the house for the newest Braxton.


	6. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Howdy folks!**_

_**Ok, I have no excuse for how long it's been. I meant to post this chapter a few days and totally forgot, so sorry about that haha**_

_**This chapter is kind of a filler, and I can't decide if I like it or not, but I didn't want such a big jump between the last chapter and the next one. Anyway, here it is! There will be another A/N at the end of the chapter, because there are a few things I want to mention, but I don't want to ruin anything before you (hopefully) read it :D**_

_**Ok, let me know what you think!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Five<strong>_

Kyle couldn't remember the last time his room was so clean. He'd always thought that he was a pretty neat guy, but apparently he'd been wrong, because the living room was full of bags, each stuffed to bursting with rubbish from all over the house. But, it was done now, and all the space they'd created was about to be filled with baby things.

Heath had agreed to go with them. Surprisingly, Bianca had too. Kyle hadn't even thought to ask her, thinking that shopping for a child might be too hard for her, but after she'd been told about Kyle's change of heart, she'd happily asked if she could join them.

Brax, Heath, Kyle and Bianca piled into Heath's truck, while Casey and Ricky stayed behind to make the finishing touches to the house. As they drove to the city, Bianca was scribbling a list of what they needed. Kyle watched it grow by the minute, and with every item that she added, the cost went up, and Kyle wondered how he was ever going to be able to pay Brax back. But, he thought, there was no getting around the fact that these things were needed, and he'd think of a way to get Brax back every penny.

"Have you thought about a name yet?" Bianca asked, interrupting Kyle's thoughts.

"I haven't really thought much about anything yet." Kyle admitted, and Bianca let out a laugh.

"It's ok to be feeling overwhelmed Kyle," she assured him gently "so for now, we will add that to the list."

"What about Slugger?" Heath suggested, grinning at Kyle through the rear-view mirror "Or Smash. Smash Braxton sounds awesome."

"Shut up Heath," Bianca told him, rolling her eyes, though she couldn't hide her amusement.

"I'm just trying to help!" Heath exclaimed, feigning defensiveness.

"Yeah, well, you tried to 'help' when Case was born too," Brax added jokingly "if it had been up to you, he'd be called Sonic Braxton."

"Alright then," Bianca chuckled, "You can help by lifting the heavy things then."

A little while later, when they arrived in the city, Kyle couldn't help but think that it was a good idea that he hadn't come alone. He didn't have the first clue where to even go, but Bianca was boss enough for them all. She divided up the list as best she could, but the reality was that Kyle was needed for decisions for just about everything. In the end, they decided that Bianca would get clothes, bottles, formula, toys and other general things that were absolutely necessary, while Kyle, Heath and Brax went in search of a cot, a pram, and a car seat.

Between the three of them, they pushed two carts, but it wasn't long before Brax went back for a third, especially since Heath kept seeing things he'd forgotten about but swore they needed. Kyle couldn't work out how such small people could need so many big things, and he was stunned by the amount of choices that he, apparently, had to make. But how was he supposed to know which crib was better than any other, or which pram was going to last longer? By the time Heath announced that they were done, Kyle was relieved, and his head was spinning.

When they finally found Bianca, Kyle was astounded to see that her cart was overflowing, items balanced precariously on top of each other, and she wasn't done. She was looking at stuffed animals, and when she spotted the brothers, Bianca beaconed Kyle over to her.

"Every baby needs their first teddy," she told him matter-of-factly "Why don't you pick one?"

Kyle thought that his head was going to explode if he had to make one more choice, but at least this one was fairly inconsequential.

He didn't know if the baby was a boy or a girl, so he disregarded all the blue and pink ones. He didn't want one that was too big or too small, so that narrowed his choices again. In the end, he settled on a mocha coloured one, with soft, light brown paws and floppy ears, wearing a white t-shirt that proclaimed 'My Daddy Loves Me.' Heath teased him a little about 'going soft' but Bianca told him it was lovely, and to ignore his idiot brother.

That, apparently, had been the last item, and they headed towards the checkout. It took all four of them to get everything on the belt, and Kyle was a little bit embarrassed that Bianca had to explain to him what a lot of it was, but she was patient with him, and he figured that it wouldn't take him long to learn.

When the cashier told them the total, Kyle thought he might have to sell a kidney to cover it. His shock must have been clear on his face, because Brax squeezed his shoulder and made a point of handing over his card without batting an eye.

"Mate, I told ya; don't worry about it." He reiterated, not for the first time.

"And we're going to get some of this stuff too." Bianca added, pulling out her own purse.

"We are?" Heath questioned, letting out a grunt when Bianca elbowed him in the ribs before correcting himself "Yeah, of course we are."

"You guys really don't have to do that," Kyle told them seriously.

"Don't be silly," Bianca admonished, unintentionally using the tone she quite often adopted with her students "We'd have bought gifts for our beautiful niece or nephew anyway. At least this way, it's stuff we know you actually need."  
>"I swear, I'll pay you back every penny." Kyle promised.<p>

"The important thing is that you have everything you need now, so whenever the baby decides its time to make an appearance, we'll be ready."  
>As he spoke, Brax started to haul their purchases back into the cart, while Heath and Bianca waited to start taking it all to the truck. Kyle found that he couldn't move, thinking to himself that they could have had another ten years to prepare, and he still wouldn't be ready for what was about to begin.<p>

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>AN 2: Ok...**_

_**1) At first, I was a bit conflicted about the idea of Bianca going baby stuff shopping with them. Like Kyle, I thought that it would be too hard for her, but then I thought that her problems with Harley were more to do with the fact that he is Heath's baby but not hers, not just babies in general. So I figured she might actually enjoy going shopping for her niece/nephew.**_

_**and**_

_**2) I can't decide whether Brax would actually act the way he does in this chapter. I mean, I have no doubt that he would lend Kyle the money to get everything he needed for the baby, but actually going with him to buy everything? I'm not so sure. Maybe I'm wrong. But I kind of feel like Kyle is still a little bit excluded from the brotherly dynamic that Brax, Heath and Casey have, unless he's helping them, so I thought I'd put in a bit of brotherly fluff into this :D**_

_**I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on either/both of these things!**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hi lovelies :)**_

_**I'm sorry I haven't updated this for a little while, but I was having trouble with the next chapter, and I wanted to make sure that was done before I posted this one :)**_

_**There isn't much I can say about this chapter. I kind of like it (as much as I can like my own writing haha) but I'll let you tell me what you think of it :D As always, I haven't particularly proofread it, so if you see any glaring mistakes, feel free to point them out :D**_

_**Thank you for sticking with me!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter Six<strong>_

The call came at night and, still half asleep, it took a minute for Kyle to recognise what it meant when Phoebe told him "My water just broke."

When it had finally dawned on him, Kyle was sure he felt all the air leave his lungs, and it seemed like someone else was using his voice to answer.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Five minutes may have been a little ambitious, but Kyle was determined. So determined, in fact, that it made him frantic to the point that he couldn't for the life of him find his keys.

As he scrambled across his dark bedroom, pulling on the first clothes he could find, tripping over various baby supplies as he went, all he could picture was Phoebe giving birth in the van, alone and probably scared, and that made his disregard all reason that might have kept him from bursting into Brax's room any other time.

"Kyle, what the bloody hell are you doing?!" Brax exclaimed, started, pulling the covers over himself and Ricky.

"The baby," was all Kyle could manage to get out, but it was all he needed to. In one swift movement, Brax tossed Kyle the keys to the Ute, which Kyle caught with surprising ease, considering how much his hands were shaking. Kyle didn't even hesitate before taking off down the stairs, just about hearing Brax call 'We'll meet you there mate' before closing the door behind himself.

If Kyle was honest, he couldn't really remember the drive to the caravan park. Phoebe was pacing the small area of the van when he arrived, and as she huffed her way through a contraction, she wasted no time in letting Kyle help her to the Ute.

"Does it usually happen this fast?" Kyle questioned as Phoebe squeezed his hand while he guided her down the step.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Phoebe snapped impatiently, but immediately felt guilty about it.

When Phoebe was as comfortable as she was going to get in the Ute, Kyle went back for her bag and locked the van.

The drive to the hospital was quite possibly the longest one Kyle had ever experienced, and with each minute that went by, Phoebe's pain filled grunts were getting louder. They consumed his thoughts until he could feel his foot pressing harder and harder on the gas pedal.

He let out a sigh of relief when the hospital finally came into view, and he squealed the car into the closest spot to the entrance that he could find. He was more than a little surprised when he spotted Nate running towards them with a wheelchair.

"Ricky called me," The British doctor told him, sensing Kyle's confusion. Kyle was just relieved that there was finally someone who knew what they were doing with them. The two of them eased Phoebe into the chair, and Kyle hurried along next to them while Nate pushed.

"Kyle," Phoebe started breathily. Thinking she wanted comfort, Kyle reached for her hand, but Phoebe pulled it away before continuing "I don't want you in there."

The words hit Kyle like a tonne of bricks and halted him, completely stunned, leaving him to watch her disappear through the double doors without him.

It wasn't long before Kyle's family arrived. An old, motherly nurse had guided him to a seat he could wait in, and he heard them before he saw them, but for once, he was glad for the noise the Braxton clan emitted. The late hour meant it was fairly quiet in the hospital, and it was leaving Kyle with too much time to think. They bustled around the corner, a hum of overlapped voices that fell silent when they saw Kyle sitting alone, pale-faced and wide-eyed.  
>"Where's Phoebe?" Casey questioned, looking confused.<p>

"Nate took her," Kyle answered simply, in a low, almost inaudible mumble.

"Why aren't you with her?" Bianca asked cautiously, worried that something had gone wrong.

"She didn't want me to."  
>Everyone but Kyle seemed relieved that this was the case, and not a worse alternative. However, Braxton brashness was always going to rear it's head somewhere, and unsurprisingly, it was in Heath.<p>

"What?" he exclaimed loudly, shattering the relative peace around him "It's your kid! She can't stop you from being at the birth!"

"I'm going to have the baby for the rest of my life," Kyle snapped, barely taking his eyes from the doors that had swallowed Phoebe "If this is how she wants to do this, I'm not going to argue with her about it."

No one took Kyle's harsh tone to heart, understanding that he was worried, but it didn't stop them from falling into an almost indignant silence. Ricky tried to distract Kyle by attempting to convince him to go with her to get coffees, but he didn't want to leave, so Casey went instead. Kyle was more than glad that he had declined the distraction, because a minute after they left, Nate pushed through the door. Kyle shot to his feet, and Nate strode over to him determinedly.

"Is it over?" Kyle blurted hurriedly "Is Phoebe ok, and the baby?"

"I don't know," Nate answered honestly. Kyle's face fell with horror, and Nate quickly added "Kyle, I'm not a midwife. But someone will be out to update you soon, I promise."

Nate clapped Kyle on the shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look before leaving again. For a second, Kyle felt a surge of rage rush through his body. It didn't last long, but it was long enough for him to kick a chair, sending it crashing down the corridor.

"Calm down, would ya!" Heath exclaimed, startled by the sudden outburst from the usually most collected of the four of them.

"I have no idea what's going on!" Kyle argued exasperatedly "I feel helpless."  
>"Mate, there's nothing you could do even if you were in there." Brax told him, feeling sorry for his brother's situation.<p>

"Kyle," Bianca began gently "I know Phoebe said she didn't want you with her, but do you want me to go and sit with her? So she's not alone?"

Kyle wanted to decline. If he couldn't be there, he wasn't sure he wanted anyone else to be either, but he also didn't want Phoebe to be alone.

"Thanks," Kyle muttered, giving a small nod. Bianca was glad for something to do, so she hurried off to find Phoebe. Kyle slumped, disheartened, into a seat in the row his family had been occupying, burying his face in his hands. Without looking up, Kyle felt Heath and Brax sit either side of him, and a few minutes later, Casey and Ricky joined them, and for just a second, the world didn't seem quite so daunting.

Every second that ticked on felt like a minute, and every minute slinked past like an hour. Kyle's head shot up every time the doors swung open, but it took two hours for a woman in purple scrubs that Kyle recognised from the ultrasound a few days before to come over.

"Mr Braxton?" She asked, a warm, bright smile on her face.

"That's me," Kyle replied quickly, darting from his seat with his brothers just behind "Are they alright; Phoebe and the baby?"

"Mummy and baby girl are doing just fine." The nurse assured him kindly, and Kyle felt all the air leave his lungs.

"A...a girl?" he stammered breathlessly

"Congratulations Mr Braxton," The midwife nodded "You have a daughter."

All of a sudden, Kyle was surrounded by his brothers, who each shook his hand eagerly.

"What about Phoebe?" Kyle asked, breaking through the chatter "Does she need anything?"

"Mate, go and meet your daughter," Brax told him gently "We can go and see if Phoebe needs anything, and come and see the baby in a little while."

Kyle nodded, grinning gleefully as he started to follow the midwife. The hallways seemed tauntingly long until all of a sudden, he was there, staring through the window at his daughter, lying in a transparent cot.

The last time Kyle Braxton could remember crying was when he'd been fourteen, when his mother had died. He'd been hit with the knowledge that his father wasn't committed enough to him to help, and he was all alone. But now, looking at his daughter, he felt a few tears escape. They were different. These tears were because he'd never felt happier, with everything he thought was good in the world wrapped up in one tiny pink bundle.

"Would you like to hold her?" The midwife asked softly, and Kyle nodded, unable to talk over the lump in his throat. He followed her in, somewhat gingerly as nerves gripped at him, and sat in the large, slightly worn armchair that in the corner of the nursery. The nurse reached into the cot and carefully lifted out the tiny baby, patiently telling Kyle the best way for him to keep comfortable and still support the little girl's head.

She was warm. Kyle wasn't sure why he was surprised but he was. Her skin was red and a little blotchy, but when Kyle ran a finger lightly over the thin, almost invisible hair on her head, she was soft. Kyle slipped his little finger into her tiny palm, and she gripped it instinctively, like he was the only thing keeping her on the planet. They were still like that when Brax, Heath, Casey, Bianca and Ricky arrived.

The ladies cooed over the two of them, but Kyle barely noticed, not able to pull his gaze away.

_His baby._

"Kyle, she's beautiful." Bianca told him tearily.

"Does she have a name yet?" Ricky asked, and Kyle shook his head.

"I don't want to rush it and give her one she hates." He explained, dragging his eyes away from his daughter just in time to see Ricky snap a picture of them.

"I'm sure whatever you choose will be perfect," Ricky continued with a mischievous grin.

"Does anyone else want to hold her?" Kyle asked, albeit begrudgingly. As with the ultrasound pictures on the day he'd found out Phoebe was pregnant, Kyle knew that if he didn't let her go soon, he'd hold her in his arms forever.

All three of his brothers stepped forward willingly, but Brax held out his arms to stop Casey and Heath.

"Fall back boys," he instructed playfully "Uncle Brax is first."

Kyle stood up slowly, careful not to jostle the baby too much, which made Bianca chuckle.

"She's not as fragile as she looks Kyle," his sister-in-law told him "She won't break."

Kyle was still careful as he lowered the baby into Brax's arms, and Ricky eagerly caught a picture of them too. Kyle hadn't even noticed that the nurse had left until she came back to check on the new family addition.

"When can he take her home?" Brax asked as he too took the child's hand.

"Well," the nurse began "We'd like to keep her here for at least twelve hours because she's a little small, but you should be able to leave by this afternoon."

_No, _Kyle thought warmly to himself _she isn't too small, she's perfect._


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hi all :D**_

_**I'm sorry it's been awhile again :( I've had so much work to do the last few weeks that I haven't had time to do any writing at all (hence the reason Tenuous Fighter hasn't been updated lately either D: ) but, I'm going home with my room-mate tomorrow for my very first thanksgiving (!) and that includes lots of very long car rides, so I hope to get a couple of chapters of both written (though I don't know if I'll be able to post them until the weekend)**_

_**Anyway...**_

_**This chapter took a surprising turn even for me, but I kind of like it anyway, so I hope you guys do too!**_

_**Thanks for being patient with me!**_

_**xoloveJBox**_

_**xxx**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>_

The hours seemed to go past quicker than Kyle could blink, and before he knew it, Heath was heading home to pick up the car seat, so that he could leave with the baby. He was still no closer to giving her a name, but he and his brothers had been alternating between calling her 'Princess' and 'Little Miss Braxton' in the absence of anything else.

For hours, there'd been something Kyle knew he had to do something, but he had been putting it off. But now, as the time to leave was drawing nearer, he knew he didn't really have much choice. He let out a sigh and begrudgingly slipped his finger from his daughter's tiny grip, pushing himself to standing.

"Do you mind staying with her for a few minutes?" he asked Brax and Ricky, who had stayed around after Casey and Bianca went back to the house to prepare the final touches to the baby's things, like putting sheets in the crib, and making sure bottles were clean, ready for milk.

"Yeah, sure," Ricky agreed with a warm smile, and Kyle nodded in thanks, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Brax questioned with a slightly confused look on his face.

"To see Phoebe." Kyle answered simply, hoping his brother wouldn't ask for elaboration, because honestly, Kyle wasn't sure he could give any.

Thankfully, Brax didn't press the issue, and Kyle was grateful. He wasn't even really sure what he was going to say, but he did know that he'd been given a gift, and he couldn't just leave with her without at least speaking to Phoebe.

As he walked down the corridor, he realised that he had no idea what room Phoebe was in, so he peered through the doors of them all. He was more than a little confused to see that she wasn't in any of them, so he made his way to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me," he started, and the nurse there, a white-haired, petite woman who seemed to ooze a motherly-or maybe even grandmotherly- tenderness "Can you tell me where I can find Phoebe Nicholson?"

The woman seemed to stop and think for a moment before giving him a sympathetic smile.

"Miss Nicholson discharged herself about an hour ago, sweetheart." She explained softly "But she knew you'd swing by eventually," She continued eagerly, setting down the chart she'd been writing on and searching through a drawer for a few minutes. Kyle could only stand there, wondering how Phoebe could just leave without even seeing their daughter, even if she didn't want to raise the child. Eventually, the woman let out a quiet 'aha!' and pulled out a white envelope and handed it to him. Kyle blinked dazedly at his name written in Phoebe's familiar, curly script.

"She wanted us to give that to you." The woman finished before shooting him another warm smile and going back to work.

Kyle wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the envelope in his hand, but he only came back to reality when Heath gave him a playful nudge, startling him.

"Alright, Jumpy," Heath chuckled, amused at the similarity to the nickname he usually gave his immediate younger brother- 'Grumpy.' "You ready to take the princess home?"

"Yeah," Kyle answered, a nervous knot starting to twist in his stomach.

"What's that?" Heath asked, nodding towards the note, still unopened in Kyle's hand.

"Nothing important." Kyle replied, sounding more convinced than he felt as he stuffed it into his pocket. He certainly hoped it was true, because he had no intention of reading it straight away.

The closer they got back to the room that held his daughter, the more anxious Kyle got, and he started to wonder if maybe Phoebe was right-maybe he wasn't ready?

But, as worried as he had been one second; the next, it was gone. He knew he was lucky enough to have a lot of people who were more than willing to help him, no matter how useless he was or how difficult things might get, and he was more grateful for them than he knew how to explain.

When the two of them entered, Kyle's eyes instinctively searched out the pink bundle, which was in Brax's arms rather than in the crib where he'd left her.

"Sorry," Brax grinned "Couldn't resist."

"Going soft, are we Brax?" Heath joked with a mischievous grin as he placed the car seat on the counter.

"You wish," Brax scoffed playfully as he stood "Alright little Miss," he said to his niece "back to dad you go."

Kyle took the opportunity to unwrap her from the hospital blankets, and he was immediately struck by just how tiny she really was. It made him all the more aware of everyone's eyes on him as he placed her in the car seat, and he turned to them before covering her with the blanket Bianca had sent back with Heath.

"Is she strapped in properly?" he asked, paranoid about her falling out the moment he tried to move.

"She looks golden to me," Brax answered casually, and Kyle felt a slight flare of frustration.

"Can someone just check for me please?" he asked, a little bit more harshly than he'd intended. Ricky rolled her eyes but stepped forward anyway.

"Your daddy's bossy today, isn't he?" she cooed as she made sure the straps were tight enough and the clasps closed properly.

"You're good to go," she confirmed, and Kyle was admittedly relieved that he hadn't made a mistake you.

When they were all ready, Kyle grabbed the car-seat, and never before in his life had he handled something with such care. As they walked out of the hospital, Brax couldn't help but notice that he'd never seen his brother smile so much in all the time that he'd known him.

Kyle spent the whole drive home in the back of Heath's truck, despite the fact that the front passenger seat was empty, with his hand tracing the lines of his daughter's tiny limbs. It was so hard for him to believe that she could be so perfect, and yet, twenty four hours ago, she was still inside of another being. The thought kept him pretty occupied as they drove, and it seemed like no time has passed before they were pulling up.

Inside, they were greeted by a large pink banner that proclaimed 'Welcome Home!' and large grins from Bianca, Casey and, surprising to Kyle, Tamara. His relationship with her had been rocky at best for a while, and he had no idea how his daughter was going to play into that. But, he pushed the thought from his head, leaving it for another time. For now, he was too tired, and too overwhelmed to add that to his pile.

"Can I get her out?" Casey asked, looking down at the baby, and Kyle nodded.

"Go for it."

"Err, Kyle," Casey groaned, wrinkling his nose once the little girl was out of the car-seat, looking away from the bundle in his arms "I think the Princess has left you a present."

It took Kyle a second to know what Casey meant, and the look it elicited on his face was enough to have his older two brothers snickering at him. Through his chuckles, Brax pulled out the changing mat and lay it on the floor as Kyle took his baby from Casey and kicked over the box of nappies and wipes. He lowered himself slowly to the ground, carefully placing the little girl down too, and tried to work out where to start.

"What are you doing to the poor kid, you goose?" Heath demanded as he watched Kyle fumble awkwardly with the baby's clothes, eliciting grumbles from the small child when she was fussed with.

"This isn't exactly something I have a lot of experience with Heath." Kyle retorted, feeling himself get more flustered as his daughter protested. It certainly didn't help when Heath rolled his eyes and nudged him aside.

"Move out the way." He instructed, pointing a finger at Kyle. "And take notes, little brother, because this is the only time I'm going to be changing your daughter's nappy while you're around.

Kyle watched intently as Heath changed the nappy and puts the little girl's clothes back on, committing every step to memory because, despite his limited knowledge, he _did _know that there would be plenty more nappies to change.

"There we go sweetheart." Heath announced as he finished, picking her up gently "That's better, ey? Uncle Heath to the rescue."

Kyle spent the rest of the day fussing over things, and almost as soon as Bianca or Ricky convinced him that whatever he was dealing with was fine, he'd find something else, so in the end they simply left him to it. He was hyper vigilant, and every single sound, no matter how small, that came from the baby had him snapping to her side, and Heath teased him about it every single time. If it wasn't so obvious that Kyle was nervous out of his mind, Brax might have joined him. Casey seemed to be alternating between helping Heath wind up their brother, and cooing over his niece.

Throughout the afternoon, Heath made sure to keep an eye on Bianca. Phoebe's pregnancy had been so suddenly dropped on them that he wasn't sure his wife had fully had chance to come to terms with what having a baby around might feel like, and there had not really been any way for him to know how Bianca would react until they were actually faced with Kyle's baby. But, if she was feeling anything but joy over the new addition to their already fairly extensive family, she was doing a good job at hiding it. She was busy helping Kyle know what to do, at his side the moment he looked like he needed a reassuring hand or a few words of experienced encouragement, and he looked almost panicked when night crept up on them, and Heath and Bianca bade everyone goodnight, ready to head next door.

"Don't worry mate, the little peanut's asleep," Heath started comfortingly before a wicked grin spread across his face "and by the time she wakes up for her next feed, you'll probably have started lactat-ow!" He quickly disappeared out the door, pulled away by Bianca with a sharp grip on his ear.

"Seriously Kyle, you'll be fine," Ricky promised with a warm smile "and we're all here, if you need us."

"But try not to need us." Brax yawned jokingly before he and Ricky went to bed themselves.

Kyle blew out a breath. Until almost everyone had left, he hadn't realised how crowded their house had seemed all day. Casey was the only one who remained, sitting on the couch, cradling the baby in his arms.

"I never really got to do this with Rocco." Casey mumbled quietly, catching Kyle slightly off-guard.

"Why not?" he asked as he slumped down next to them.

"Well, at first it was because Heath wouldn't let me see him." He explained, his eyes never leaving the little girl's face as he spoke "He was mad at me because of what happened with Dad, which I can understand. Then I guess I was just scared that I'd hurt him."

Kyle's voice was firm with certainty when he answered "You couldn't do that Case."

"I never thought I could shoot someone either, but that happened." Casey retorted, and Kyle found that he didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed silent and let his brother finish "And then, I was in the desert when he died."

"I'm sorry I took that from you Casey. You didn't get to say goodbye, and that was my fault." Kyle told him sincerely. It was something they'd never really talked about before, and Kyle didn't know whether he was just tired, or if it was sentimentality now that he had his own child that made him feel like he had to say it now.

"No one got to say goodbye Kyle, but thanks." Casey answered softly, before letting out a breath and standing up "Now, we are not nearly drunk enough for this sappy conversation, so I'm going to go to bed, before we end up putting a chick flick on and talking about our feelings."

Kyle let out a hearty laugh as his brother passed the tiny pink bundle into his arms.

"I think I'm going to head up now too," he replied amusedly "it's been a long day."  
>"It has," Casey agreed with a grin "but a good one."<p>

When Kyle was sure that he'd gathered up everything he needed for the night, Casey helped him carry everything upstairs and into Kyle's- and now the baby's- room before tossing a sleepy 'goodnight' over his shoulder as he wandered out to his own room. Kyle quickly changed his daughter on the bed before carefully lowering her into the cot, thankful that the movement didn't stir her enough to wake her up. When he was sure she was still settled, Kyle set to getting himself ready for bed.

He started out by digging around in his hands into his pockets, fishing out the contents to make sure they didn't end up in the washing machine. He was momentarily surprised by the envelope that he pulled out, but quickly remembered. It seemed like a lifetime ago that the nurse had handed it to him. He turned the crumpled paper over in his hands a few times, contemplating opening it, but in the end, he decided against it. Instead, he stood it up against the lamp on his bedside table. It had been a long day, and Phoebe had made her choice. He'd read it when he was good and ready.

For now, he was looking forward to climbing into bed, listening to the sounds of his angel's gentle breathing.

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><p><span><em><strong>AN: Baby Braxton's name will be revealed in the next chapter! :D**_


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